Saturday 26th January 2018
11 Health, Fitness & Nutrition • New Year New You 1
Six yoga poses for a good night’s sleep
We all know the importance of getting enough rest and yet insomnia affects millions of people every night. Two-thirds of adults in developed countries fail to get the eight hours recommended by the World Health Organisation
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he growing field of sleep science tells us that a lack of rest has implications for our mental health and immune system.
It increases our risk of developing a worryingly long list of diseases including Alzheimer’s and certain cancers. The 2016 UK Sleep Survey found that bodily
discomfort was the top physical reason for sleeplessness, while racing thoughts was the main mental culprit. Luckily yoga can help with both of these issues. A few simple yoga poses can help to iron out
the kinks and tension in the body before you get into bed but it’s combining these with mindful, steady breathing that will trigger activity in the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). The PSNS is responsible for the body’s rest and digest response. It conserves energy, lowers stress, reduces blood pressure, strengthens the immune system and lifts your mood. Try these six simple yoga poses from yoga
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teacher Esther Ekhart, founder of online studio
EkhartYoga.com. These poses combined with deep, deliberate breathing, will release tension in your body and soothe the nervous system so you can drift off to sleep. Get everything ready so that you can go
straight to bed after these poses. Put your phone out of reach and dim the lights. Keep focusing on your breath throughout.
1 Seated shoulder and neck release This exercise helps release tension stored in the shoulders and neck. You can sit in any comfort- able position on the floor, on cushions or on the edge of your bed. Clasp your hands and bring them towards your left side, then tilt your head, bringing your ear towards your left shoulder. There shouldn’t be any straining here so don’t go to your maximum stretch, just a nice gentle release. Let your jaw be loose too — this will help if you tend to grind or clench your teeth in your sleep. Stay for five deep breaths on each side.
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2 Seated side bend We live in a very forward-facing world — working at desks, hunched over phones, driving. Spending a few breaths in a side stretch can help to undo some of the phys- ical tension this causes. Side stretching releases pressure from the muscles that attach to the ribs and the intercostal muscles between the ribs themselves. Your breath will become fuller, which in turn can help with symptoms of stress and anxiety. Visualise sending your breath to the side ribs for five deep breaths. Pause for a few breaths before changing sides.
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3 Reclined easy twist Unwind the day from your spine. If you’ve been standing or sitting all day your back will thank you, and you’ll also get a nice stretch across the front of the chest. This is a good pose if you tend to shift around a lot in bed before you feel comfortable. Make it comfortable; if your knees are high off the floor (or bed) use your pillows to prop them up. A pillow between the knees can be nice too. Remember to focus your attention on your
breathing and try to make it calm, steady and slow without any strain. Change sides after five to 10 breaths.
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4 Head-to-knee pose / Janu Sirsasana This pose will release tension in your hips, hamstrings and spine. Forward bends are known to be calming and open the back of the body. You can modify this pose in lots of ways. Use a strap around your foot if you can’t reach your foot with your hands or just rest your hands either side of your leg. If your upper back is rounding a lot, sit up on blankets or cushions or bend the knee of your extended leg. Stay in the pose for five deep breaths, visualising the breath in your back ribs, then change sides.
5 Supported child’s pose / Balasana When you practise child’s pose with your body
completely supported it becomes
more padding under your knees or a rolled-up towel under your ankles. Stay here as long as it feels comfortable.
6. Legs-up-the-wall pose / Viparita Karani This is perfect if you’ve been on your feet all day. As it’s an inversion, it brings lots of benefits such as improving your circulation and lymph flow. You can practise the pose with or without a bolster under your hips, and also with your hips further away from the wall if your hamstrings feel tight. So how do you get up there? Start off lying on your side with your bolster or pillow within reach, bring your hips close to the wall. Bend your knees and then roll onto your back. Push into the wall to lift your hips and slide the bolster under your lower back. You can stay in the pose for up to five minutes if it feels comfortable. To come out of it just reverse the steps — and then go straight to bed.
Practise online yoga at home For more like this you can follow Esther Ekhart’s online yoga programme ‘Yoga for Better Sleep’ on
EkhartYoga.com and the beauty of it being online is that you can do the yoga classes in your pyjamas just before you go to bed. With EkhartYoga you can shape your own practice with online yoga and meditation classes for all levels from complete beginners to yoga teachers. Follow classes and guided programmes with top, international teachers. See below to get your free two-week trial. Words by Esther Ekhart from
EkhartYoga.com
A quick trick to get back to sleep
If you wake up during the night, try this simple Pranayama (breathing) technique. • Sit on the edge of your bed with your feet on the floor.
• Close your right nostril with your thumb and breathe in gently through your left nostril.
• Close your left nostril with your ring finger and breathe out through your right nostril.
Repeat this for up to five minutes. As you pay attention to your breath you will feel an energetic shift in your body and a sign that your body is ready to drift off again.
A large survey in 2016 showed that bodily discomfort was the top physical reason for sleeplessness, while racing thoughts was the main mental culprit. Luckily yoga can help with both of these issues
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perfect restorative pose. Your PSNS can get to work, and your body and mind can really relax before you go to bed. Prop your upper body up as high as
you like with
bolsters or pillows and blankets so that it’s comfortable for you. Rest your head on one cheek (change sides halfway) or rest your fore- head on your hands. You might like to add some
Unique offer for all New Year New You readers. Free two-week trial on
EkhartYoga.com/newyou Use promo code: NEWYOU Offer runs from 6 Jan-28 Feb, 2018
EkhartYoga.com
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